A Little bit of Luxury

We all have one of those days where we feel like we deserve a 'treat'. Admittedly, that day comes far too often for me. Every single day I will pick something up and say to my partner: "Oh look honey, I treated myself." It has become somewhat of a joke between us both now, he looks at me with those disapproving eyes and then suddenly burst out laughing, he knows I have very little control when it comes to shopping.

Although I do shop a lot, I'm very careful with my money. I have never been in debt and have always repaid my credit cards. I admit that I have probably had life a little bit easy as I have always managed to find odd little jobs to fund my lifestyle and I have never been out of pocket. I'm self reliant and do not borrow money from my parents. When I treat myself to something as a big as this Michael Kors bag, I know that I have earned it through hard work and I never underestimate its personal value.

Early this week I received my first official work pay cheque and headed straight to Harvey Nichols. It has been awhile since I have had such a considerable amount in my bank account that hasn't belong to the student loans company. I have been lusting over this tricolour Michael Kors handbag for the last few months and knew that this handbag and I were destined to be together. At £315 this little bag doesn't come cheap, but words cannot describe the immaculate handbag lining, the soft leather finishings and that sturdy, quality feel. It may be a fair amount of money, but you can tell this handbag is made to last.

My second little weekly 'treat' was this green clover Pandora charm. Two Christmases ago my partner bought me the most beautiful Pandora bracelet with many different charms all representing my personality - this was one of them. Unfortunately a year later it was stolen whilst I was visiting London. I bought a new bracelet last year and have spent the last few months trying to rebuild it. I repurchased this little clover last week as I've started having a lot of good luck recently and the green clover reminds me of my partner who is Irish.

Finally, I received this luxurious scarf in the post the other day from Diffusion (link*). I have always loved scarves and they remind me of my auntie who always used to wear them. The horse pattern on this scarf is like a piece of artwork - every section of it tells a story. I love to wear this scarf with a vintage style dress or sometimes I wrap it around the stop of my handbag to add a little bit more style. The scarf is highly versatile and really grabs attention, it's probably one of the most beautiful scarves I have ever seen.

Have you been shopping recently?

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LuLu Guinness New Collection

Each week I always find myself looking at handbags that I can never really afford and Lulu Guinness has always been my 'bag porn' of the internet.  I love the quirky style, the luscious bright red lip clutches and currently I'm obsessing over the LuLu Guinness new collection which has lots of elegant pastel colours mixed with cream and gold. 

The first handbag on the list is the new 'Small Izzy Satchel'. This so far is the most beautiful Lulu Guinness handbag I've ever seen. The handbag has a beautiful black lip clasp and black and white lined insides.It is made out of soft patent leather and would be a statement piece for any outfit.

Second on my Lulu Guinness wishlist and new collection reveal is the 'Patent Large Amelia'. I love really large shopping bags, especially when they can fit my Macbook in them. This Amelia handbag is not just spacious, it also has one of the top colour trends this season, pastel blue.

If I could buy a purse right now, it would definitely be the 'Stone Leather Large Envelope Purse'. I love how sophisticated the design is and the gold lip clasp. The purse has space for up to 9 cards - so if you're a shopaholic like me it's perfect and it has also large pockets for coins. 

Finally, the 'Patent Large Paula' is perfect for those looking for a classic style handbag made by Lulu Guinness. The bag has plenty of room, a zip across the top and features the classic Lulu Guinness logo. This is the handbag to choose if you are looking for something to take to all types of occasions.

As much as I want to say I'll be buying one of these handbags, it's looking very unlikely at the moment. Today I was shocked by the news that I have been made redundant and lost my job. It's a sad state of affairs, but I couldn't thank my boss and his wife enough for the amount of work and support they have given me the last few months. I may be a little bit penniless for the next few months whilst I get back on my feet, but I'm sure they'll be other opportunities. I have brought this mainly to your attention as I will be accepting more advertising and sponsored posts over the next month or so as I literally have no other form of income and all my student loan has gone on housing. I hope you can understand as soon as I get more money, things will be different.

Which Lulu Guinness handbag would you choose?

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Look What I've got: Recent Shopping Hauls

Last night I was sat in bed thinking about my recent spending habits and dwelling over Christmas shopping. So far I've bought many 'Christmas Treats' for myself and barely spend a penny on other people - apart from my fiance. Every time I go to town, it's one present for them and about three for myself. I can't help it, the shopaholic kicks in and for some reason I become impulsive. It doesn't help that there's so many fabulous bargains around at the moment and when Black Friday suddenly appeared, I couldn't neglect the amazing GHD offer that Feel Unique had going. My friends and family always look at how much I spend and think how on earth does she do it? Well, I don't go drinking like many people my age and I have three part-time jobs on the go. I'm not incredibly irresponsible with my money. I have savings, I've started a pension, so why not? My reasoning behind my latest impulse shopping is that i'm moving house in January and I know I'll have to curb my spending. I'm stocking up on all the things I want before I start to limit myself. My fiance just laughs at me and says: "It's your money" and he's right...but maybe sometimes I do need a stern talking to.

My latest shopping splurges have been everything from hair extensions, makeup, GHDS and a wonderful fur jacket from Miss Selfridge. Yesterday I fell in love with some checkered trousers from River Island and within moments they had made their way into my handbag. I left the store thinking I've been naughty again, yet embracing my cheshire cat grin. I've come to the conclusion that Confessions of a Shopaholic is my autobiography, minus the debt and the glamorous job - hopefully the job aspect of that film will come in the future.

So the first item I treated myself to was this beautiful half wig from Ebay. Ebay has some fantastic hair extension and wig sellers and I've book marked so many of them. I have lots of half wigs from Ombre to curly hair and this time I wanted something long and thick to cover up my thinning hair. This synthetic half wig cost me £18.95 which is cheaper than a haircut and really transforms my hair. I really believe that 'once you go half wig, you never go back'. They're addictive, they look fantastic and so much more comfortable than clip in hair extensions.

My next purchase was a Black Friday bargain from Feel Unique. I grabbed these GHD straighteners for £79 instead of £135. This was fantastic timing as my 6 year old pair of GHDs were finally succumbing to old age and wasn't heating up anymore. I'm a firm believer of GHDs and I swear by the fact that they are less damaging to your hair than most hair straighteners on the market and having had my old pair for over 6 years, I know that they have a long life span.

For a long time now I've been searching for the perfect fur coat and I finally found it in Miss Selfridge last Saturday. This coat is incredibly soft, comfortable and it doesn't make me look hefty like a lot of the fur coats out there. I got this coat whilst it had a 10% discount and it only cost me £80. I will be selling my other little fur coat as I don't like it as much as I love this. I can't stop wearing it in this cold weather.

Shortly after buying the fur coat I saw this bag on offer at River Island for £30 down from £45 and I knew I had to get it to match my fur coat. I love how much space this bag has and it's perfect for carrying around my Macbook or doing heavy Christmas shopping.

Finally I've been wanting this Michael Kors perfume for such a long time and thanks to Black Friday at Debenhams, I managed to get hold of it with a little bit of a discount. This will definitely be the fragrance I will wear over the Christmas period.

What have you been buying lately?

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Sunday Favourites

 I'm sat in bed on the laptop and currently thinking 'I can't believe it's Sunday again'. This week has flown so fast and all I've done is work and not stopped. It's strange to think that I arranged my work experience with Welcome to Yorkshire several months ago and now it's tomorrow that i'll be heading over to their office for a week. I love playing intern and cannot wait for the experience, but as always I'm a little bit apprehensive and I'm really not sure about the outfit I've hung up on my wardrobe. I can probably guarantee that will change several times before I leave the house tomorrow. 

In today's short, but sweet blog post I've decided to show you three of my favourite things I've recently purchased or have been sent. The above image is a picture of my new shoes from Dorothy Perkins. They were a steal at £15 and I'm looking forward to wearing them for my work experience tomorrow. I've been searching for a pair of pretty kitten heels and I've finally found a pair I love.

The second item is Bijoux Bazaar bracelet I've been chirping on about for the last few days. I ordered it not too long ago and it arrived really quickly. Being a little bit judgemental from past experiences, I didn't know what to expect ordering a piece of jewellery offline that had such a low price. I'm usually pretty happy to invest a little bit of money into jewellery, because there's a fine line between pretty and tacky. When the bracelet arrived I was shocked by the superb quality and how pretty it looks. I can't stop wearing it and I've already seen other pieces of jewellery I'd like to buy from the website. I can see the Brent Bug earrings making their way onto my shopping list in the near future.

My final item is this beautiful bag I was sent by the team at Bon Prix. I've been using it quite a lot lately that I haven't actually got round to blogging about it until now. The snake skin and leather pattern look bang on trend for this autumn and I love the tassel detailing. The bag goes with quite a lot of outfits and it's perfect as a small every essential. This tassel side tote can be bought from the Bon Prix website for £28, which I think is a reasonable price.

What do you think of the items?

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Autumn Outfit Wishlist

London Fashion Week very quickly crept upon us and then suddenly has finished within a blink of the eye. This year we've seen lots of bold colours, fabulous patterns and an ample amount of leather. To celebrate or commiserate the finale of London Fashion week, I've decided to do one last wish list post. This wish list is a combination of high street and designer, much like London Fashion Week. In my personal opinion, I've always stated that I prefer to have a few designer accessories and a lot more high street gear, because it's easier to mix and match. You can take one Topshop jumpsuit similar to the one and above and add a few designer items to give the item a sense of luxury and glamour. 

The other day I walked into Topshop and was blown away by the vibrant colour of this orange jumpsuit. The colour very much reminds me of those auburn leaves that fall off the trees at this time of year and looks very autumnal. I could see the jumpsuit being fun to wear, yet evoking a sense of sophistication. I really need to try this on next time I'm in store.

The second item on this list is a beautiful Ivory Cup Sleeve jumper by the designer Chalayan. I was browsing the Avenue 32 website and fell in love with it. It looks really cosy and versatile and I could imagine this going with so many outfits I own. This jumper would look great over the Topshop jumpsuit to give a slouchy yet glamorous, dressed down vibe.

Yet again on my wishlist is another pair of Kurt Geigers. I don't think they ever bring out a line of shoes that I don't want to buy. I love the look of these wedges. Finally, I'd bring the whole outfit together with the bag leather handbag from River Island. I've had many River Island handbags in the past and they've lasted me for a very long time, I can't wait to buy another.

What do you think of this outfit?

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Orla Kiely Handbag

It has been a really tough last few weeks. I've only recently come out of hospital and then a few days later my beautiful 13 year old cat died of a tragic accident. My mind has been all over the place and my blog has sadly been neglected, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel...

A few days ago I received an email saying that I had won a brand new Orla Kiely handbag and yesterday it arrived.

Doesn't it look beautiful? The bag was won from a competition posted on the Uniqlo website in celebration of their recent collaboration with designer, Orla Kiely. The bag retails at approximately £400 and is made from Italian leather. The sparrow detailing on the side is elegantly printed and the bags interior looks luxurious and spacious.

I really can't wait to do an outfit post with this handbag, it's so versatile and will go with almost everything in my wardrobe. Of course this handbag won't replace my kitty - I loved her since she was so tiny that she could fit into the palm of my hands and I will always miss her terribly, but it does show that luck is on my side and that just maybe, even though she isn't here, she will continue to be my lucky charm. 

What do you think of my new handbag?

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